Downlink power control for interference mitigation in competing communication systems

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods presented herein provide for altering communications of a LTE wireless communication system operating in an RF band with a conflicting WiFi system. In one embodiment, an LTE system includes a wireless base station operable to transmit downlink communications to a UE in the RF band and to receive uplink communications from the UE in the RF band. The LTE system also includes a processor operable to detect the uplink communications from the UE, to estimate a location of the UE based on the detected uplink communications, to determine a communication capability between the UE and the wireless base station based on the location of the UE, and to downgrade the downlink communications from the wireless base station to the UE based on the determined communication capability to avoid interference with the WiFi communication system.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims priority to, and thus the benefit of an earlier filing date from, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/030,443 (filed Jul. 29, 2014), the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communications presently operate in certain licensed bands of the Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum so as to avoid conflicts with other wireless communication systems. However, LTE can operate in virtually any portion of the RF spectrum, including certain unlicensed portions of the spectrum where WiFi communication systems operate. Due to the nature of its MAC and PHY layers, LTE poses challenges to coexistence with other radio access technologies, such as WiFi. For example, WiFi is designed to coexist with other technologies via channel sensing and random backoff. But, LTE downlink channels are designed to continuously operate at a pre-defined power level decided by the operator's coverage requirements, regardless of where user equipment (UE) being served is actually located. Any LTE system operating in the same band as a WiFi system would interfere with the WiFi system because the WiFi system would have little chance to sense a clear channel and deem it suitable for transmission.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods presented herein provide for altering communications of a LTE wireless communication system operating in an RF band with a conflicting WiFi system. In one embodiment, an LTE system includes a wireless base station operable to transmit downlink communications to a UE in the RF band and to receive uplink communications from the UE in the RF band. The LTE system also includes a processor operable to detect the uplink communications from the UE, to estimate a location of the UE based on the detected uplink communications, to determine a communication capability between the UE and the wireless base station based on the location of the UE, and to downgrade the downlink communications from the wireless base station to the UE based on the determined communication capability to avoid interference with the WiFi communication system.

The various embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in a variety of ways as a matter of design choice. For example, some embodiments herein are implemented in hardware whereas other embodiments may include processes that are operable to implement and/or operate the hardware. Other exemplary embodiments, including software and firmware, are described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Some embodiments of the present invention are now described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference number represents the same element or the same type of element on all drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary LTE wireless telecommunication system operable to alter communication strategies to avoid interference with other communication systems.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process of the LTE wireless telecommunication system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the LTE wireless telecommunications system altering its communications to avoid interference.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are flowcharts illustrating other exemplary processes of the LTE wireless telecommunications system.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system in which a computer readable medium provides instructions for performing methods herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The figures and the following description illustrate specific exemplary embodiments of the invention. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are included within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, any examples described herein are intended to aid in understanding the principles of the invention and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. As a result, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments or examples described below.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary LTE wireless telecommunication system 100 operable to alter communication strategies to avoid interference with other communication systems, such as a WiFi communication system operating in the same RF band as the LTE system 100. Although shown with one base station 101 (i.e., for the sake of simplicity), the LTE system 100 typically comprises a plurality of base stations 101 that are operable to transmit to a plurality of subscriber UEs 102 through downlink communications and to receive uplink communications from the UEs 102. The uplink and downlink communications can be processed in a variety of ways as a matter design choice (e.g., at the base station 101, back office processing of a Mobile Communications Operator—“MCO”, Virtual Radio Access Networks—“VRANs”, etc.). Accordingly, the base station 101 may be implemented based on the type of uplink and downlink communication processing being employed (e.g., VRANs use base stations that are for the most part antennas and transceivers).

In whatever form, an LTE network processing element 110, being part of the LTE communication network 105, processes the uplink communications of the UE 102 and alters the communication strategy so as to avoid interfering (e.g., via antenna radiation pattern 120) with another communication system operating in the same RF band, such as the WiFi communication network 125 and its associated WiFi access point (WAP) 121. Thus, the LTE network processing element 110 is any system, device, software, or combination thereof operable to change downlink communications from the base station 101 to the UE 102 to avoid interfering with another wireless communication system operating in the same or a similar RF band. Examples of the UE 102 include cell phones, table computers, laptop computers, and the like. The LTE system 100 of FIG. 1 will now be shown and described with respect to one exemplary process in FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 200 of the LTE wireless telecommunication system 100 of FIG. 1. As mentioned, the base station 101 is operable to at least transmit downlink communications to the UE 102 in the same RF band as another wireless communication system such as the WiFi communication network 125. Accordingly, the base station 101 would likely interfere with the other wireless communication system because LTE downlink channels are designed to continuously operate at pre-defined power levels decided by the operator's coverage requirements.

In this embodiment, the base station 101 of the LTE system 100 receives uplink communications from the UE 102, in the process element 201. To avoid interference, the LTE network processing element 110 estimates a location of the UE 102 based on its uplink communications, in the process element 202. For example, along with data and/or voice being transmitted to the base station 101, the UE 102 may transmit other information that may be used in identifying a location of the UE 102. Examples of such information may include transmit signal strength of the UE 102, GPS information of the UE 102, or the like. Once the location of the UE 102 has been estimated, the network processing element 110 determines a communication capability between the UE 102 and the base station 101 based on the location of the UE 102, in the process element 203. For example, the network processing element 110 may assess the downlink data rate needs of the UE 102 to determine a communication scheme capable of delivering those needs. After the communication capability has been determined, the network processing element 102 then downgrades the downlink communications from the base station 101 to the UE 102 to avoid interference with another communication system, in the process element 204.

The manner in which the telecommunications are downgraded can be implemented in a variety of ways as a matter of design choice. For example, the LTE system 100 can adapt and jointly optimize its transmit power level, change the time/frequency resources allocated to its “attached” UEs, and/or change the Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) used to transmit information to its attached UEs in order to minimize the LTE signal energy footprint.

Generally though, the objective of this optimization is to reduce the transmit power level of the base station 101 such that the farthest UE 102 attached to the base station 101 receives the minimum signal energy that is needed to support its required data rate. As an example, it might be the case that a farthest UE 102 attached to the base station 101 needs only quadrature phase shift keyed (QPSK) modulation to achieve its required data rate even though the received signal energy is capable of supporting 64 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). And, an eNodeB base station in the LTE system 100 can operate at QPSK rather than at 64 QAM if the available resources allow, thereby lowering its transmit power by approximately 12 dB and dramatically reducing the interference observed by surrounding wireless systems, such as the WiFi communication network 125.

Another manner in which the communication capabilities of the LTE system 100 can be downgraded is illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the LTE system 100 altering its communications to avoid interference by changing its antenna radiation pattern. For example, the base station 101 may be configured with directional antennas as well as omnidirectional antennas, as illustrated by the antenna radiation patterns 130-2 and 130-1, respectively. In this simple example, the base station 101 may be configured to broadcast downlink communications via an omnidirectional antenna that radiates across a relatively large area as illustrated with the antenna radiation pattern 130-1. Yet, the network processing element 110 may determine that the base station 101 has only a single UE 102 attached, meaning that a large portion of the antenna radiation pattern 130-1 of the omnidirectional antenna is unused. Accordingly, the network processing element 110 may downgrade the communication capabilities of the base station 101 by switching to a more directional antenna that only radiates downlink communications in the direction of the UE 102, as illustrated by the antenna radiation pattern 130-2.

Of course, as with the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, information pertaining to the locations of the UEs 102 may be needed. Generally, the base station 101 can approximate the locations of the UEs 102 in a variety of ways as a matter design choice including, uplink power transmission levels, GPS coordinates, and/or information transferred to the base station 101.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are flowcharts illustrating other exemplary processes of the LTE system 100 that control power of the downlink communications after the UEs 102 of a servicing base station 101 have been located. The process 250 of FIG. 4 represents one exemplary algorithm for achieving dynamic downlink power control in which the network processing element 110 iteratively locates all of the UEs 102 of a servicing base station 101 and then reduces the maximum required transmit power within the constraints of the available resources in the physical layer. In this regard, the process 250 initiates with the network processing element 110 estimating the locations of the UE 102 for a scheduled LTE frame, in the process element 251.

The network processing element 110 then calculates a maximum MCS for each UE 102 assuming a nominal transmit power from the base station 101, in the processing element 252. For example, the network processing element 110 determines whether a particular UE 102 is receiving a minimum power within the constraints of the base station's 101 transmit power. If not, the network processing element 110 iteratively reduces the base station's 101 transmit power while maintaining downlink communications with the UE 102 as long as it is within the base station's 101 reception range. The network processing element 110 does this for each of the UE's 102 so as to ensure that all of the UEs 102 can be accommodated with the updated transmit power.

Even if the data rate required by a farthest UE 102 (i.e., distance with respect to the base station 101) is such that a higher modulation order than QPSK is needed, the base station 101 can allocate more time/frequency resources to the UE 102 and still operate at QPSK modulation. One way to achieve this is for the base station 101 to target and minimize the transmit power required for the UE 102 with the highest required transmit power, and then iteratively repeat the process until the physical layer (PHY) resource utilization is maximized.

In this regard, the network processing element 110 calculates the PHY resources to support the UEs 102 in the LTE frame, in the process element 253. From there, the network processing element 110 locates the UE 102 receiving the least amount of power, in the process element 254. The network processing element 110 then determines whether any remaining PHY layer resources exist, in the process element 255. An LTE PHY layer resource is a Physical Resource Block (PRB), which is basically a 2D resource comprised of a number of subcarriers over a certain number of symbol periods. If a PHY layer resource exists, the network processing element 110 changes the downlink transmit power of the base station 101, in the process element 256, and directs the UEs 102 in the base station's 101 range to also reduce their transmit powers, in the process element 257. Thereafter, the network processing element 110 calculates new MCSs and PHY resources for all of the UEs 102 in the LTE frame, in the process element 258. This process is repeated until the minimum transmit power for sustaining downlink communications from the base station 101 to the UEs 102 is attained. If no other PHY resources exist, the network processing element directs the base station 101 to maintain the current downlink transmit power, in the process element 259, and then transmits the LTE frame for transmission as scheduled, in the process on the 260.

The process 280 of FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative to reducing the downlink transmit power of the base station 101. In this embodiment, the process 280 focuses on the UE 102 with the lowest received power. This allows the network processing element 110 to establish a minimum bound on the transmit power of a particular base station 101. Like the process 250 in FIG. 4, the process 280 also initiates by estimating the locations of the UEs 102, in the process element 281, and by sorting the scheduled UEs 102 based on their received power for any given transmit power of the base station 101, in the process element 282. Then, the network processing element 110 arranges the UEs 102 in the range of the base station 101 according to descending receive power levels by denoting them as, for example, UE-1, UE-2, . . . , UE-N (wherein “N” is merely intended to represent an integer greater than 1 and not necessarily equal to any other N reference designated herein). Based on this, the network processing element 101 can determine the lowest transmit power for successful transmission of downlink communications to the UEs 102 in the range of the base station 101, in the process element 283.

The network processing element 110 then determines the time/frequency resources needed for the UEs 102, in the process element 284. In this regard, the network processing element 110 may determine the MCSs needed for the UEs 102 and denote those MCSs of the UEs 102 as MCS-0, MCS-1 . . . MCS-I, with MCS-0 being the least amount of power for a UE 102 to achieve proper demodulation of a signal. For example, using the balance of resources, the network processing element 110 determines if there is a resource allocation scheme to accommodate the data rate requirements of other UEs 102 in the range of the base station 101. If no such scheme exists, the network processing element 110 gradually increases the power level such that the data rate requirements of all UEs 102 are met with the minimum transmit power of the base station 101. If no time/frequency resources remain for the UEs 102, then the network processing element 110 increments to the next MCS, in the process element 286, and returns to the process element 283 to determine the lowest base station power for successful transmission to the UEs 102. Otherwise, the network processing element determines the highest transmit power that can be supported by the UEs 102, in the process element 287.

Once the highest transmit power has been determined, the network processing element determines whether time/frequency resources can be reallocated, in the process element 288. If they cannot be reallocated, the network processing element 110 increments to the next MCS, in the process element 290, and returns to the process element 283 to determine the lowest base station power for successful transmission to the UEs 102. Otherwise, the network processing element determines that the transmit power for downlink communications to the UEs 102 has been established (e.g., lowered to the desired amount), in the process element 289, and begins to transmit to the UEs 102 in the range of the base station 101.

It should be noted that once the downlink transmit power has been established, in the process element 289, that downlink transmit power is not maintained interminably. Rather, the network processing element 110 may continually monitor the UEs 102 of any particular base station 101 and adjust downlink transmit power as desired. For example, UEs are often mobile devices that move in and out of the range of base stations. Accordingly, the lowest transmit power operable for successful transmission to the UEs may change based on a UE 102 leaving the range of the base station 101. The network processing element 110 is operable to adjust for such frequent changes of the UEs 102.

The invention can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment containing both hardware and software elements. In one embodiment, the invention is implemented in software, which includes but is not limited to firmware, resident software, microcode, etc. FIG. 6 illustrates a computing system 300 in which a computer readable medium 306 may provide instructions for performing any of the methods disclosed herein.

Furthermore, the invention can take the form of a computer program product accessible from the computer readable medium 306 providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. For the purposes of this description, the computer readable medium 306 can be any apparatus that can tangibly store the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, including the computer system 300.

The medium 306 can be any tangible electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device). Examples of a computer readable medium 306 include a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk and an optical disk. Some examples of optical disks include compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W) and DVD.

The computing system 300, suitable for storing and/or executing program code, can include one or more processors 302 coupled directly or indirectly to memory 308 through a system bus 310. The memory 308 can include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code is retrieved from bulk storage during execution. Input/output or I/O devices 304 (including but not limited to keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers. Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the computing system 300 to become coupled to other data processing systems, such as through host systems interfaces 312, or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modem and Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network adapters. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communication system operating in a Radio Frequency (RF) band with a conflicting WiFi system, the LTE system comprising: a wireless base station operable to transmit downlink communications to a user equipment (UE) in the RF band and to receive uplink communications from the UE in the RF band; and a processor operable to detect the uplink communications from the UE, to estimate a location of the UE based on the detected uplink communications, to determine a communication capability between the UE and the wireless base station based on the location of the UE, and to downgrade the downlink communications from the wireless base station to the UE based on the determined communication capability to avoid interference with the WiFi system.
 2. The LTE wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein: the communication capability is an antenna radiation pattern of the wireless base station; and the processor is further operable to change the antenna radiation pattern to avoid interference with the WiFi system.
 3. The LTE wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein: the communication capability is a bandwidth of the downlink communications; and the processor is further operable to reduce the bandwidth to avoid interference with the WiFi system.
 4. The LTE wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein: the communication capability is a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) of the downlink communications; and the processor is further operable to change the MCS to avoid interference with the WiFi system.
 5. A method operable with a Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communication system operating in a Radio Frequency (RF) band with a conflicting WiFi system, the method comprising: receiving uplink communications from the user equipment (UE) in the RF band via the wireless base station; estimating a location of the UE based on the uplink communications; determining a communication capability between the UE and the wireless base station based on the location of the UE; and downgrading downlink communications from the wireless base station to the UE based on the determined communication capability to avoid interference with the WiFi system.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein: the communication capability is an antenna radiation pattern of the wireless base station; and the method further comprises changing the antenna radiation pattern to avoid interference with the WiFi system.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein: the communication capability is a bandwidth of the downlink communications; and the method further comprises reducing the bandwidth to avoid interference with the WiFi system.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein: the communication capability is a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) of the downlink communications; and the method further comprises changing the MCS to avoid interference with the WiFi system. 